Sunday, August 22, 2010

Summer Skin Dreams - Laser Hair Removal (Part I)

Hello my dear readers,

I hope you're having a great Sunday afternoon! I am not writing as many blog posts as I was aiming at when I started out but I am on a very tight schedule with my studies and I am spending practically my entire spare time with family and friends. BUT I have a lot of ideas for future posts that I am very excited to publish in the next couple of weeks (some products are brand new and need to be tested further). So, please bear with me, I am so enjoying to stay in touch with you!!

Last week I had my first laser hair removal treatment using the Super Hair Removal (SHR) system. According to the doctor at the Laser Center (I went to a specialist- NO mocking around with semi-trained persons in tanning salons on this matter, no no no!!) said that this laser is superior to others because it uses the benefits of an improved frequency rate (energy is released up to 10 times per second), so it can go with only 25% of the heat exposure of regular lasers, making it the safest on the market! The laser responds not only to the melanin (pigment) of the hair but also to the stem cells. As a consequence, even dark-skinned people experience good results and light fair hair will come off, too.

So Far So Good!

I decided to get rid of the lot - legs, underarms, upper lip, and bikini area. I was not sure at all what to expect but I can honestly say that my first session was surprisingly pleasant!! I did not feel intimidated by the staff (in fact, everyone was really considerate) and the SHR applicator did not hurt. The heat went up gradually each time that it was run over the skin (about 8-10 times on a fairly large body section, e.g. the front and sides of one upper leg) - and just when I felt like it was getting hot, the body part was done! Only on the thick pubic hair in the bikini area (the more melanin a hair contains, the more heat is being absorbed) I was really counting the seconds until it was over, ouch! I spent about two hours there, including waiting time and payment.

I can describe my impression best that way: The heat resembles the sensation when walking on an asphalted side-walk on a hot summer day.

What's supposed to happen now: All the hair that was growing at the time of this first laser session will grow out and (hopefully) never come back. As only 25% of the entire body hair is in this "growing" phase at any given point in time I need at least 4-8 sessions until the procedure is finished. So, the new set of "growing" hair will be treated in another 8 weeks time, and so on, until I am satisfied with the results.

I have experienced no side-effects so far. In fact, my skin feels smooth and is not red at all. I am required, though, to wear high protection sun block on the areas that are exposed to direct sun light. Also, a couple of days before the next treatment I was recommended to quit using self-tan lotions and I need to shave a day prior to the next session.

I was so worried to try this method but now I feel confident that I am doing the right thing. I decided to take this step because I get irritated skin and ingrown hair from any conventional hair removal technique (such as shaving, waxing, using epilators, shaving creams, you name it...) and my skin just does not come to a rest. A friend of mine used a similar method a couple of years ago (the second generation of the Intense Pulsed Light, IPL-2) and is very satisfied with the results!

I will keep you up to date after every new treatment, so finger's crossed I'm gonna stay this positive :-)

Dreams, dreams, dreams ...

(picture taken at the enchanted Getty villa in Malibu, California)

I really wanna know: What do you think of laser hair removal?! Have you heard of SHR or even tried it yourself?

All the best,
your frivolous(?!) gypsy Sam xx




4 comments:

  1. Thank you!! You've got some great pics on your blog, too! On which beach was the 'coconut hair' pic shot, it looks like you've spoilt yourself to a great retreat :)
    Best, Sam xx

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  2. If I could afford it, I would definitely go for it, to be honest! I have not heard of SHR before, but it seems a great technique.
    Thanks for telling us about it.
    Love the pic, as well!
    New follower here!
    X
    Catanya

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  3. Hello Catanya,

    thank you so much for your kind words!! It's great to know that you find my post useful :)
    Yes, I am very excited to see the results of this big project and will definitely make known how it goes on! So far so good! The doctor said that the treated hair will fall out but as the next cycle of untreated hair grows to the surface of the skin I will still need to keep shaving until every hair was treated (ideally) once (some may survive a single treatment and need to be re-done). This means it's going to be a long and expensive procedure but as I experienced severe skin problems due to shaving in the past I have now decided to take this step.
    Looking forward to talk to you again soon!!
    Best, Sam xx

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